Code V
by DarkKuro
Summary: An old fanfiction involving several OCs made by myself and others  used with permission . Something's wrong in the Smash World. Things are falling out of the sky and space is being warped. A new band of heros must unite with the old to save the world.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note**: Code V is a fanfiction I wrote several years ago. It was for a now-inactive club named Super Smashers, in which people submitted Smash Brothers OCs. I decided to put together a story about these characters, as several close friends were in the club, spawning Code V. I do have permission to use these characters, but I do not own them aside from Geyser, Geysette, and Devoc. Please forgive the lower quality of writing; I plan to submit more recent things soon.

**Chapter One**

The boy sat inside the small cave in silence, shuddering every time he heard the boom of thunder or saw a blade of lightning. Why was he so frightened of such trivial events? It was only a summer storm. There were much more fearsome things that could happen, and he knew that very well…

He continued to watch the storm outside. The rain was falling in endless torrents from the angry sky. If the weather didn't clear up, he would not be able to go out and find food or drink. He was sure that both were abundant at the Lake, but the boy knew better than to go near a large body of water when there was lightning…

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning flashed over the lake, the light reflected in the water. But a split second after it appeared, it was gone, and somehow reappeared nearer to the boy's shelter and then faded. There was a large _BOOM_ that made him tremble. He wrapped his cloak around his soaked, cold form and buried his face in it.

Why did this have to happen?

Narcissa watched as Reno entered the arena. Her heart was beating in anticipation. Reno was her childhood friend, and he had worked hard to make it into the final round of the tournament. Reno was waving to the crowd with a calm smile on his face, and then he turned towards Narcissa's direction. The two's eyes locked, blue gazing with secret excitement into blue. Reno gave a thumbs up in her direction and grinned even wider.

"Go Reno!" she called out over the cheering crowd. Reno advanced towards the center of the arena. His opponent had yet to appear, and Narcissa was anxious to see who it would be. Then from the other side of the stadium walked a tall, green haired boy who appeared to be around Reno's age. He had the loveliest green eyes she had ever seen and an expressionless face. The challenger proceeded towards Reno slowly, even though the audience cried for the fight to start quickly. Narcissa saw a blindfold hanging from his neck and wondered how the other boy would fight with his eyes covered.

Reno looked over the other. He noted a short sheath at the boy's waist. _A dagger?_ He thought. If his foe used a dagger, that would be a disadvantage to him, as he used a longer weapon. It would be hard to block attacks. It seemed that the green haired boy was studying his opponent too. Reno tried to find any sign of emotion in the boy's face, but if there was any, it was skillfully hidden.

"Two lives, no items!" the announcer shouted. "Those are the only rules aside from keeping it clean!" The cheers of the audience grew louder. "This match is Reno…" Narcissa smiled as the announcer called out her friend's name. "…versus Alvin!" The crowd roared as Alvin tied his blindfold firmly around his head. Narcissa thought she saw a girl swoon from the corner of her eye. "The finals begin in three…two…one….GO!"

There were loud hollers as Reno charged towards Alvin. Alvin stayed in place, bracing himself and staying as still as a tree. Reno could feel the wind blowing back his hair as he dashed towards Alvin. When he was almost within striking range of his target, he suddenly stopped and leaped backwards. It had been a feint, but Alvin did not fall for it. This was going to be a tough battle. As soon as Reno landed on his feet, Alvin swiped with his dagger in mid-air. Reno had no idea what the other boy was doing, but he realized it once a hard blade of wind struck his shoulder and tripped him. The people in the stadium roared and clapped at that first strike.

_So he can use wind,_ Reno thought. He quickly rolled to his feet, just in time to see Alvin running in his direction. Alvin slashed in his direction, but Reno fended off the blow with his stick and struck Alvin in the waist shortly after. The green haired boy only showed the slightest hint of a wince before regaining his composure and proceeding to hit Reno with a series of spinning kicks.

"They're pretty closely matched…" someone mumbled beside Narcissa. "And that Alvin's a wind user too…" She turned to see a tall, red haired boy with oddly colored eyes.

"I suppose so," she sighed. She didn't know if the boy took in her comment or not, as he remained silent and was watching the fight intently. She turned back to see her friend get knocked around quite a bit and then sent flying into the air. But she knew Reno wasn't going to go down easily. The blue scarf around his neck started to spin quickly like a windmill, and it allowed him to land safely back on the ground. Alvin was standing far away from Reno, staying in a single position. Soon after Reno landed, he unleashed a large blast of air from his dagger in hopes to knock the boy off his feet again. Reno bent low to the ground in order to endure the buffeting gale. When it dissipated, he rushed towards Alvin.

Alvin continued to use long range attacks until Reno came close. He dodged a swipe from the stick and got down to the ground, stabbing at Reno's legs. Reno leaped high into the air, but was met by Alvin, who grabbed him mid-air and threw him down. The force he tossed Reno with was so strong that his target ricocheted off the arena floor and bounced out of the arena. Narcissa narrowed her eyes in anticipation. That was one life down for Reno. Would he be able to win against such a tough opponent?

Reno returned to the battlefield on a floating platform and hopped off. "I won't be going down too easily this time!" he exclaimed, smiling at Alvin.

"Mmm…" Alvin muttered. "We'll see." He was about to unleash a pre-charged Air Cutter, but a loud series of cracks and crunches distracted the two fighters. Reno whipped around, and what he saw made his jaw drop and his eyes widen. Alvin whipped off his blindfold and saw what was going on too. Multiple screams and shrieks rose from the audience.

A large boulder had somehow made its way into the arena and was hurtling towards the grandstands. Reno gasped in horror when he realized the boulder's destination was in Narcissa's general area. He dashed away from the arena, Alvin following him closely, both forgetting the battle and rushing to save the spectators. Narcissa had seen the giant rock too, and was trying to get away from it. Her heart pounded in fright as it drew closer and closer to her.

Then, a green and black blur dashed past her. It was Alvin, readying his dagger and throwing himself at the boulder, along with the boy that had commented on Alvin earlier. Narcissa cried out for them to be careful, but they ignored her. Alvin kicked out at the boulder, while the other man swung a large, black and red sword at the boulder, and upon contact the stone shattered into many pieces. _Wow, they're strong,_ Narcissa thought in wonder. The crowd now surrounded the area, investigating the remains of the boulder. The announcer pushed through the group and told everyone to stay back.

"Everyone, stay calm!" the announcer shouted, waving his arms in a flustered manner. "This match is done! We need to find out what's going on before we open up the stadium again. Please move quickly!" Alvin stared at the remains of the boulder for a bit, and then turned to face Narcissa.

"Are you ok?" he asked.

"Yeah," Narcissa said. She realized that her voice was trembling a bit and fancied that she blushed at the sight of Alvin's green eyes. "Thank you."

"That was really close," Reno gasped, panting with his hands on his knees. "I thought you were going to get smashed by that." He looked up into the sky, eyes clouded with concern. "How can a boulder just appear like that? Do you think someone catapulted it over the stadium walls?"

"I doubt it," said the boy with the sword. His face was bathed in worry. "I've heard rumors that objects have randomly fallen out of the sky when they are not supposed to be there… One time a spear nearly pierced a girl, and I have seen a blizzard kick up on a perfectly clear day in summer. It's like something's happening with the fabric of space…" The group fell into a nervous silence.

"Please move!" the announcer shouted at them. Narcissa winced and covered her ears, and she glanced at Reno.

"Maybe we should move out now…" she said, staring at the still agitated announcer. Reno nodded in agreement, and they started to make their way out of the stadium.

"Wait," someone said. Narcissa and Reno found Alvin following them. "I'll come with you. I don't know about you two, but I want to find out what's going on."

"I as well," the red haired boy interjected. "Lots of people could be hurt if something suddenly comes out of no where and flies at them..." They stared at Reno and Narcissa as if waiting for them to move. Narcissa shifted her weight uneasily; they had become a group so quickly, and she felt like they wanted her and Reno to lead them.

"I-I guess we should try to find someone that knows more about this than we do," she stammered. "I'm not sure if there's anything else we can really do." She tilted her head in thought, and after a brief pause, she added, "My name is Narcissa, by the way.

"I'm Reno," Reno put in. "I suppose you all heard the announcer say that, though."

"I am Seth," the boy with the strange eyes said.

"Alvin…" mumbled Alvin.

With the introductions done, the small band of four obeyed the announcer's commands and filed quietly out of the arena.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

The group had decided to retire for the day and meet up the next morning. Narcissa and Reno both lived in a small town called Centralia, some miles away from the arena. That night, neither of them got good rest. Narcissa, though she fell asleep, had a strange nightmare that chilled her to the core.

"_H-hello?" she stammered, looking around at her surroundings. She appeared to be at some kind of lake. It was dark out, and no stars illuminated the sky. There was an eerie stillness. No crickets chirped. No wind rustled the leaves. All the night-time sounds that she expected to hear were gone. Narcissa felt cold and wrapped her arms around herself to comfort her._

_That was when a loud cry like metal scraping on metal pierced the silence. Narcissa jumped in alarm at the sound. She thought she saw something writhing in the air, its long body flailing and jaws gaping. There was another roar, this time sounding like an enraged beast, and a second shape crashed into the first one. An odd blue light filled the darkness…_

"Huh?" Narcissa woke up, gasping for breath. Birds chirped in the background and gentle, warm sunrays filled her room with light. She quickly checked over herself, making sure she was all right. "What was that?" She slowly got off her bed and peeked outside. There was nothing out of the ordinary- just people going around and doing what they had to do. Narcissa was thoroughly puzzled by the dream, but she shrugged and got ready for the meet-up with the others.

When she walked out the door, she saw Reno waiting for her. Reno waved to her, and Narcissa bounded over.

"Hey," he greeted. "Are you ready? Alvin and Seth said they'd be at the town gates." He paused, seeing the fear in her eyes. "Did…did something happen?"

"I-I'm fine," she stuttered, still shaken by her nightmare. "I just had a bad dream, that's all." Reno stared at her for a few more seconds, then sighed and turned to find Alvin and Seth. They wound through several small streets and paths until they game to a large, iron gate with two griffin statues guarding it. Beyond the gate, they could see their comrades standing around. Alvin turned and looked into Narcissa's eyes. He still had that same expressionless look. Narcissa's face reddened a bit (thank goodness she was still pretty far away; the blush would go undetected) as she pushed open the gates and walked over to them.

"You're finally here," Alvin said. "So…what's our plan?" Narcissa silently admitted that she wasn't so sure herself. The group stared at each other for a while. Then Reno tilted his head and put his hand to his chin in thought.

"Come to think of it…" he pondered, "wasn't there an incident two or three years ago? I don't know much about it, but they said several parts of the world somehow imploded and were sucked into another dimension…."

"You mean the Subspace incident?" Seth exclaimed. "You think this is something like that?"

"I guess it is a bit like it," Narcissa whispered. "But it's almost like everything's on a smaller scale…" There was another period of quiet as the four thought over Reno's suggestion. "Should we try to find people that know more about the Subspace incident? That could help." The rest nodded in agreement. Narcissa looked up at the sky. "So then that's what we'll do next." Upon reaching their decision, the group started to move away from town.

There was a small forest near Centralia that the group had to pass through. The forest was full of wild beasts, and as a result they proceeded carefully. Once in a while they thought they could hear distant howling. After a few minutes of quiet traveling, Narcissa heard low growls deeper into the forest.

"What do you think that is?" she whispered.

"I'll go check," Reno offered. Seth stepped up to Reno and looked at him straight in the eye.

"I'll go with you," he added. "If it's something like a bear, we're in trouble." The two of them headed off in the direction of the sound, leaving Narcissa and Alvin alone. Narcissa felt rather nervous- half because that she was concerned about her friend and Seth's safety and half because that she and Alvin were by themselves.

"Do you think they'll be ok?" she asked softly. Alvin did not say anything, and he only gave a barely noticeable nod. Right after his response, however, there was a loud shout that sounded like Reno and a snarl. Narcissa's heart leapt, and she quickly ran to the source of the noise. "Alvin…" she began, but the green haired boy had already joined her. They pushed through several branches and bushes before coming across a small clearing. Seth and Reno stood with their weapons ready, facing an oversized wolf that was looming over a small pile of brown fur. The wolf took a step towards the two boys, still growling.

"More intruders," the wolf roared. "This forest is already in danger from those random things that rain down from the sky. We don't need anymore trouble!" It gave another snarl and jumped at Seth, who fended the blow off with his sword. Alvin pulled down his blindfold and dashed in, firing a blade of air at the wolf to knock it backwards. The wolf was able to recover quickly and lash out at Reno with its claws. It caught a bit of cloth, but Reno dodged the attack and countered with a strike from his stick. The wolf howled in pain as he hit its leg and made it stumble. Again, the canine got up again, striking back at Reno. This time he gave Reno a small scratch on the arm. Reno winced and backed away while Narcissa ran up and landed a kick on the wolf. The creature was clearly getting agitated, since its hackles were raised and its mouth was curled to reveal many sharp teeth.

Suddenly, a gray and blue blur dashed in from the side, crashing into the large wolf and toppling it. There was yet another wolf in the clearing, but this wolf was leaner and smaller. "Cut it out," the newcomer snapped. "I was watching you, you know. That poor scrap didn't do anything, and yet you still attacked him. And then you fought these guys over here." She glanced at the four humans.

"But Skyrunner," the bigger wolf began, "the safety of the forest…" Skyrunner gave the other wolf a good swat across the muzzle.

"Play fair," she snorted. "They did nothing to hurt you, did they? You didn't have any right to attack them." She let her companion get up and lope away with his ears flat and his tail drooping. There was a satisfied smirk on her face as she faced the group yet again. "Sorry about him. He's really defensive." Skyrunner sat down and started to groom herself. "So what brings you here?"

"We've heard about strange happenings where stuff just drops out of nowhere," Narcissa explained. "We…we were hoping to find someone that would know more about what's going on." The wolf's ears perked up at the mention of this.

"I heard stuff like that has been happening everywhere," Skyrunner barked. "It's really risky to travel where there's no cover." She sighed sadly and shook her head. "At least we have shelter in the forest. If you want more information, then I think there's a castle somewhere beyond here. I've heard that place was a victim of the whole Subspace thing, and nowadays two guys occasionally hang out around there. Try them."

"Thanks," Narcissa said. "That would help us a lot." Skyrunner got up and turned around to follow the other wolf. But before she left the clearing, she went over to the pile of brown fur and prodded it gently.

"It's ok now," she said. "These people seem nice. You could go with them." To Narcissa's surprise, the brown fur started to move. It turned out that the fur pile were two other wolves that seemed much younger than Skyrunner and a lot tinier and stood on two legs.

"Thank you!" yapped a wolf that had a collar of shiny beads. Skyrunner gave them a smile and vanished into the woods. The two little brown wolves moved cautiously towards Seth, Narcissa, Alvin, and Reno. "Thanks for fighting that big, mean wolf."

"I'm Geysette," said the second wolf, who wore a pink bow on her head and slightly different collar than the other wolf. "And this is my idiot brother, Geyser."

"W-wha?" Geyser wailed. "I'm not stupid! Eek!" Geysette gave Geyser a whack on the head. Narcissa had to stifle a giggle. The two wolves acted just like children. Geyser rubbed his head and looked up at the humans. "S-so you wanted to find out what's happening? We do too!"

"I suppose you could join in," Reno said. "What do you say?" Narcissa grinned and nodded.

"Sure," Seth answered, shrugging and gazing down at the small pair. "Though I guess we need to keep them in check…"

"Fine with me," Alvin agreed. So Geyser and Geysette joined the gang of four on their adventure.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"If we don't find that castle soon, I might flip out!" Geysette growled, her muzzle twisted into a pout and her arms crossed. They had traveled for a while now, and so far, the group had not seen anything. The land was barren and dull, and the soil was rough and rocky. Nothing interesting had turned up…until now.

Geyser's ears perked up as he detected a faint sound carried on the wind. "Hey, do ya hear that?" he asked excitedly. "Listen!" The group paused for a bit and stood in silence. There was a noise like steel on steel, stone on sandpaper, a grating, sharp noise that reached their ears.

"It sounds like swords clashing," Seth mumbled. "I think we've found them." The six's spirits soared at the prospect that they were finally nearing their destination. They pushed themselves to continue on, and finally, after a few long minutes, they saw the half-broken towers of what used to be a splendid castle.

"I didn't expect a castle in ruins," Reno remarked, taking in the scenery. "I thought it would be something big and nice…" They moved closer, and the clanging of swords grew louder and louder. Soon, they saw two men, both dressed in blue and holding swords, fighting with each other. One seemed to be leaner and more agile, the other slower but more muscular. The slower man appeared to be having a hard time landing hits on the other, who nimbly dodged most of the slashes.

"Are they in a battle or just sparring?" Narcissa whispered as she watched. Both men seemed to be very skilled and were fighting like they meant it.

"We should stay back in case they are really fighting," Alvin suggested. So they watched the blue duo a bit more, making sure to keep a safe distance from them. Seth had his eyes locked on the more muscular man, who carried a sword shaped much like his own, but a little smaller, with a fighting style that was also similar to his. That particular man jumped to the side to evade a blow from his opponent, and while doing so, his blue eyes met Seth's twin-colored ones. He held up a hand, and the leaner man stopped and whipped around.

"They saw us!" Geyser squeaked. "I hope they aren't bad!" After staring for a moment, the man with the large sword walked slowly up to the group, followed closely by the leaner man. Seth noticed that their eyes still met.

"Who are you?" the man Seth was watching questioned. "What are you here for?" He had a rather rough voice, but Seth thought he could hear some softness behind it all.

"We're…we were told that there were two swordsmen here who knew information we might need," Narcissa spoke up, her voice trembling slightly. She was a bit intimidated by the ability the two men possessed in battle, but she told herself that she could be as tough of a fighter as them. "I'm Narcissa, and these are Seth, Alvin, Geyser, Geysette, and Reno. There are strange things happening in the world, and we want to learn why they're happening. We…we don't mean any harm to you two. We're all concerned for the safety of the world." The strangers glanced at each other with unreadable expressions and then back at the group.

"Then you've found the right people," the same man said. "I am Ike."

"And I am Marth," the other blue haired man said. "Something is going on with the world?" Narcissa took a deep breath and started to explain the falling of the boulder at the arena, and the rumors of the near identical events. Marth and Ike both had worry on their faces as she concluded. Marth turned to his companion. "This…this is like…"

"Yes, that time," Ike finished. "But what Narcissa described isn't exactly like it. You haven't seen any Primids around, have you?" The prince shook his head.

"No, there have not been any remnants of the Subspace Army ever since we defeated Tabuu."

"Wait!" Reno cut in, surprised. "You were part of the ones that rescued the world?"

"Indeed," Ike replied. "We joined together with many others and stopped the Subspace Army. These random falling objects could have a tie with Subspace, but I can't be sure."

"I know a Subspace Bomb swallowed much of that field over there," Marth said, pointing to the ground behind them. The six turned around to get a better look at what had once been sucked into oblivion. "The whole place was gone; you could only find a large, purple sphere. It was absorbed into Subspace. But I don't recall seeing things suddenly drop out of the sky." He looked up at the heavens. "Maybe it does have something to do with Subspace, but as far as I know…those two events are very different."

"Thanks for the information," Narcissa said. "It helped." Ike gave them a small smile as he scanned the group. She turned to leave, but Seth placed a hand on her shoulder to halt her.

"Wait," the Gaian said. He faced the two other swordsmen. "I…would like to try sparring with Ike."

"Do we have time for that?" Geyser asked, glancing around at the humans. Reno shrugged, and Alvin remained quiet.

"I suppose we can," Narcissa said quietly. Seth nodded and went up to Ike. They walked some distance away from the others and braced themselves for battle. Seth steadied his sword, watching Ike's every move. They circled around for a bit, and then Ike suddenly lunged out with his blade, Ragnell. Seth took a step back, but Ike backed away. It was a feint. They circled each other some more, then Seth dashed out with his sword, Thorn, and swung it upward once he was close to Ike. Ike blocked the blow with his own sword and quickly countered. Seth evaded it, but the golden blade grazed his arm ever so slightly.

"They're closely matched," Reno remarked, watching the two exchange blows.

"They fight so similarly too," Marth added. Both of the warriors moved slowly, yet when they attacked, they struck out with much force. Seth was dashing at Ike, and the mercenary raised Ragnell and plunged it into the ground, sending up a column of flame. Seth screeched to a stop, almost getting burned by the fire. He decided to go on guard and wait to see what other things his foe had in store. The blue haired man took one step forward, and then charged like Seth had done before. It was a swift attack, and Seth grunted as the flat of Ike's sword hit his waist.

"I'm not giving up," Seth muttered. As soon as Ike withdrew his blade, the redhead hopped back and held up his palm. A burst of blood red wind shot from his hand and buffeted Ike. The mercenary gritted his teeth and held up Ragnell to block some of the wind. It felt like a thousand scythes cutting into his skin. Alvin stared at the wind in interest. As soon as the stream of wind faded away, Ike ran ahead and took a swipe at Seth. The two swords met, and each man tried to push away the other. The weight of Thorn was greater than that of Ragnell, and Ike was successfully fended off.

Then, Ragnell's gold edge was suddenly in the air, and Ike leaped into the sky to catch it and began to plummet down towards Seth. Seth raised Thorn and too jumped into the air. There was a loud clang as the swords struck, and sparks showered the ground. Both men fell back to the earth, panting in tiredness.

"Watch out!" Geysette's voice shrieked. Seth's head shot up just in time to see an oak tree zooming towards him. He and Ike ran out of the tree's range, and then the oak smashed into the ground, sending a couple wooden shards everywhere. Marth ran over to see if the two were not harmed, then upon finding that they weren't, looked at the tree.

"It happened again?" he asked Narcissa. The girl nodded gravely. The blue haired prince helped Ike and Seth up to their feet. "Ike…I think they should continue their journey."

"Agreed," the mercenary replied. He held out his hand to Seth, who did so in turn, and they shook. "Good spar, Seth. I hope your mission goes well." There was a trace of a smile on Seth's face. He was happy to have tested his skill against someone who was as strong as himself. He returned to the group, who were already walking on and waving farewell to Ike and Marth. The swordsmen waved back, and Marth faced his friend.

"Will they be fine?" he whispered. Ike gazed steadily at the back of Seth.

"Yes…yes, I believe so."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Since moving out from the castle, the small party had reached a grassy, dry, and vast plain. The particular area they were in had some steep cliffs, and the vegetation wasn't as lush. Reno was reviewing everything they had learned so far.

"So now we know this can be related to Subspace," he said, "and that even though there's a chance they're related, the events aren't one hundred percent similar. We also know the things called Subspace Bombs sucked parts of our world into Subspace, and only when they defeated Tabuu did those places come back. There was also the Subspace Army, which I'm assuming Tabuu led." He put a hand to his face and sighed. "It's a lot to think about…"

"Watch where you're going, Reno!" Geyser suddenly hissed. Reno skidded to a stop and looked up. In front of him was a bull sized lump of lavender wool. The boy was confused as to what he was standing in front of.

"Wh-what is that?" he asked. Alvin paused for a few seconds and then went up soundlessly to investigate. He put some distance between himself and the strange mound, and he walked around it for a bit. Then he returned to the group.

"It's a Tow Tow," he stated.

"What's a Tow Tow?" Geysette asked.

"It's like a mountain goat, but with twice the viciousness…" Alvin answered. Geysette put a hand to her chin in thought.

"Well what's it doing in the middle of the road? We're stuck in between two ridges. It's not like we have any other route. Is there any way to wake that thing up?" Geysette stomped her way over to the Tow Tow, gazing over it like Alvin did. Geyser ran up to his sister and joined her. He began to gently prod the Tow Tow.

"I don't think that's a very good idea…" Alvin said. Geysette giggled.

"It's kind of cute," she laughed. "I don't think this thing is going to be much trouble." She began to poke it too. Alvin muttered something incomprehensible as he watched them continue to try and awaken the Tow Tow. He, Reno, Narcissa, and Seth sat in silence as the two wolves went on. Then, there was a faint growl from the purple heap. Geyser's ears shot up and he looked at his sister worriedly.

"Did you hear that?" he whispered.

"Hear what?" Geysette said. Then the Tow Tow stirred. Geysette's eyes went wide as it got up, shook itself, and yawned noisily. Its mouth was a cavern of stalagmites and stalactites. The Tow Tow grunted and eyed the wolves with two rather fierce looking eyes. "Oh…uh…ignore what I said before?" She squealed in fright when the monster-like ram snarled and started to charge at the group.

"Run!" Narcissa cried. They all turned tail and, running, retraced their path. The Tow Tow was pretty fast for its large size, and it slowly began to close the distance between it and the group. Narcissa looked over her shoulder. Geyser and Geysette were lagging behind, and the Tow Tow wasn't too far from them. Both of the wolves had fear in their eyes. She stopped running and whipped around. As soon as Geyser and Geysette passed her, and were a safe distance away, she punched the ground, making it shake. The Tow Tow was momentarily unbalanced and fell over on its side. As soon as Narcissa was sure it would have a hard time getting back up, she dashed after the others.

"I think we lost it," Reno gasped after fleeing. The wolf siblings had collapsed onto the ground, sprawled out and chests heaving. Seth had to balance himself with his sword, and Alvin and Narcissa had sat down. They found themselves somewhere in another part of the plains, less rocky and with much more open space.

_We backtracked quite a bit,_ Narcissa thought. True, they did not know where they were going, but if they wanted to find others who knew about Subspace, they would have to look everywhere. All they could do was hope to come across someone. But one problem they had was that their food and water supplies were running low. If they didn't find more soon…Narcissa did not want to think about it.

Alvin suddenly shot up. His vivid green eyes were staring into the distance. Puzzled, Narcissa too got to her feet, and she looked in the direction he was gazing. Seth, Reno, Geyser, and Geysette joined them, all trying to find out what Alvin saw. There seemed to be a tiny figure illuminated by the setting sun, and it was coming closer and closer to them.

"Who is that?" Geyser asked. Alvin took several steps forward, and then began to head towards the shape.

"W-wait!" Narcissa called. "What if it's someone dangerous?" She followed Alvin, and the other four had no choice but to go along. What they found was a brightly colored boy with blonde hair, who reminded Narcissa much of candy. He had a lollipop in his mouth, along with a pouch that was overflowing with more candy, and a pink bow was tied onto his back.

"Who are you?" Reno asked. Then there was an excited gasp as Geyser and Geysette ran forward and gaped at all the candy the boy had.

"Where'd you get all that?" he asked. The boy seemed a bit overwhelmed by the sudden greeting and backed up a few steps.

"Hey, give him some space!" Reno chided. "We just met him, after all." The stranger relaxed as soon as the wolves moved aside.

"I'm Pop," he explained. "I-I don't know why I'm here. I was walking to the candy shop, then I find myself falling, and I land in the middle of a field…" Seth narrowed his eyes and frowned.

"So it's not only inanimate objects being affected, people are getting teleported too," he said. Pop had a worried, clueless expression on his face. "There are strange things happening," the Gaian told him. "Objects are dropping out of the sky for some unknown reason. I guess you were the next victim." Pop almost dropped the lollipop he was eating.

"I almost got hit by a boulder at the arena," Narcissa added. "We're all trying to figure out the reason why. You can join us if you like. None of us have any idea where to go next." Pop tilted his head and thought for a bit. Then he broke into a grin and nodded.

"Sure. It's not like I have any idea where I am either. I can take an adventure." He noticed Geyser and Geysette's attention was still fixed on the treats in his pouch. "Want one?" He dug through his pouch and grabbed two Dum Dums for the wolves. "Here!"

"Thank you!" Geysette squealed. She immediately tore off the wrapping and popped the candy into her mouth, as did Geyser.

"Do you know if there are any towns nearby?" Alvin asked Pop. "It's getting late…"

"I'm not sure," the boy replied. "I believe there's one past this plain, but if you're going to travel there today, it might be midnight as soon as you arrive. We might as well just rest right here."

"That sounds good," Reno sighed. "I'm tired from running from that Tow Tow, and I'm sleepy too. I sure want a comfortable bed to lie in…" He started to unpack several blankets and gave one to each of them. However, they had only packed six, which was solved when Geysette and Geyser said they would share a blanket, and the sixth was given to Pop. After they dined on some bread, fruit, and meat, they told each other good night and fell asleep.

That is, they all fell asleep aside from Narcissa. She did not know why; it could have been from the run in with the Tow Tow, or the fact that person was one of the things that fell from nowhere. She decided to go and gaze at the stars for a while, when she noticed that Alvin was lying in the grass wide awake and watching the moon. The moonlight was reflected in his emerald eyes and stained his hair with silver. Narcissa could feel herself blushing again, and she shyly approached. Alvin kept his gaze on the moon, but she could tell he noticed her.

"So you couldn't sleep either?" she asked him. Alvin uttered a low "mhm". After standing in silence for a few seconds, Narcissa lied down beside the green haired boy. "Why…why are you so quiet?" At first, Alvin said nothing, but then he sighed and closed his eyes.

"I…don't know," he responded. To Narcissa's surprise, she thought she could hear some loneliness in his voice. She expected that was all he would say, but Alvin corrected her by going on. "I once read in a poem why you can sometimes see the moon when it's light out… It's lonely out there in space, with only the Sun and Earth to accompany it, afraid to open up to others. It's reserved and only shows up when it's night, when the world is sleeping… But sometimes, it will cheer up and reveal itself to the morning." Narcissa realized he was comparing himself to the moon. "It's like me…I don't think I have many people skills."

"That must have been a beautiful poem…" she whispered, turning to face Alvin. "If you're the moon...then could I be the Sun? Or the Earth, whichever…" Alvin made a sound like a low, rough sounding chuckle, and then suddenly she was peering into his lovely eyes. She blushed even harder when she discovered that he had a hint of a smile on his face.

"Sure…I don't mind too much…" He closed his eyes again. "Glad you didn't get crushed by the rock…." Narcissa laughed softly.

"It-it's kind of cold," she commented, wrapping her arms around herself. Alvin glanced at her, and his eyes stayed there. Narcissa wanted to slap herself for wishing to get closer to Alvin.

"Tch…I know why you said that." Alvin's voice startled her. "I won't care…"

"O-oh, you won't?" she stammered, her face turning a rosy red again. Alvin nodded. Narcissa gulped and then moved over so she was right up against Alvin. He was warmer than her. She wrapped her arm around his and buried her face in his side. The scent on his clothes reminded her of a fresh spring breeze, blowing over massive, snowy mountains. Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep.

Alvin was still awake. He watched Narcissa resting against his shoulder. She was the only one that had ever approached him so openly, and he secretly appreciated it. He used his free hand to play with a lock of Narcissa's amber hair.

Maybe the Sky and Earth would be a better comparison than the Moon and Sun.


	5. Chapter 5

**Authors Note: **The box on wheels is an inside joke. Please do not ask.

**Chapter Five**

"Wake up, Narcissa," a voice whispered in the girl's ear. Narcissa was suddenly wide awake, and she noticed that she was sweating and breathing heavily. The first thing she saw was Alvin's gemstone eyes and blushed madly. "You were having a bad dream…" She shot up and looked around. Pop, Geyser, Geysette, Seth, and Reno were all already awake and were staring at her. Geyer and Geysette were snickering some distance away from the others.

"O-oh," she stammered. "This is slightly…embarrassing…"

"Never mind that," Reno said. "What were you dreaming about? We heard you screaming something about dragons and a lake…" Then, it all came back to Narcissa. She remembered the strange vision she had before the original four left on their journey. This dream had been a more detailed account of that. She had seen a large dragon battling with another dragon above a stormy lake. She told the others about her dream. Reno put a hand to his chin, puzzled. "Well, that is an interesting dream… Perhaps it will be important later on?"

"I don't know, I never had a dream where I saw something that actually happened or predicted anything…" Now there was clear nervousness within the travelers. Pop stepped up and offered to move on, which they gladly did. Packing up their supplies, the candy loving boy told them the directions to the nearest town.

"It's really quiet here…" Seth mumbled, glancing around. The town they had arrived at was Caelis. The region around the town was so dry it was almost like a desert, but there was still sufficient water for some grass to grow. The white walls of the city were a haven of safety and rest for anyone passing through the plains. They had been expecting to see many traders and commoners running around, but there was no one around.

"Hellloooo?" Geyser cupped his hands around his muzzle and barked out. He was met only by an echo of his own voice. His ears and tail drooped in disappointment. "What's going on?"

"If you want to find out, come over here," a voice called out of nowhere. Geyser squeaked and jumped, dashing over to the nearest person, Seth, and clung to his arm. Alvin stepped closer to Narcissa, hand hovering over his dagger in case he had to use it.

"Who is that?" the green haired boy demanded.

"We don't mean any harm!" a younger sounding voice whimpered. Alvin's tension faded and he straightened up. He looked at the others, wondering if they should go. A silent agreement rang throughout the group, and they headed towards the source of the noise- a dark, dusty alleyway. There, they found a group of five people huddled together in a corner, eyes bright with fear. There was a boy who looked about fifteen, a little girl who seemed to be his sister, an elderly man, a lady who looked like the boy's mother, and another boy who was around Seth's age. Narcissa was confused.

"What's the matter?" she asked. The old man raised a trembling finger and pointed to the streets outside of the alley. Narcissa turned around, but she saw nothing. Still confused, she turned back to the man, eyebrow raised.

"There's a strange child running around," the woman answered. "His name is Chuan, and…we think he's possessed…or something of the like." Her voice was uneven and her hands were shaking. "Sometimes he goes on an uncontrollable rampage through the town. It's not really his fault…when he's sane he's an innocent little boy and doesn't even recall destroying things…"

"That's a problem," Reno mused, looking behind himself warily. "Is there anything we can do about it?" The five people looked at each other.

"He's on a rampage right now, I've heard," the older boy said. "That's why everyone's hiding. If you can knock Chuan out…"

"We'll have to be careful, then," Seth said. "We don't want to mortally injure him…" His two colored eyes fixed on the hiding people. "Where is he?"

"He's by the southern exit of the town," the little girl answered. With a nod, Seth ventured off, closely followed by the others. After wandering about for a bit, they found the southern exit, but could not find Chuan.

"Where is he?" whined Geysette. "Did they lie about the whole thing…?" There was silence. Suddenly, a loud wail pierced the quiet, and everyone whipped around to find a small boy surrounded by a dark, ominous looking shroud. They all knew immediately that this was Chuan. There was madness in his eyes, that was true, but there was also a hint of the child he really was. Chuan let out another horrifying wail that made everyone cover their eyes. Narcissa saw Alvin pull his red blindfold up from around his neck and draw out his dagger, ready to fight. Geyser and Geysette hopped towards each other and formed fists with their tiny paws, Pop took out a rather large lollipop, Seth readied Thorn, and Reno took out his stick and balanced it carefully in his hands. Several townspeople had come out of hiding to watch the imminent battle.

As abruptly as he showed up, Chuan lunged out at Alvin with a claw made of shadows. Alvin stepped to the side and fired a blade of wind at Chuan, but the shot was seemingly absorbed by the dark aura. He gritted his teeth as he landed softly on his feet.

"Let's not underestimate this…" he growled, avoiding another slash from the child. Chuan attacked wildly and unpredictably, often first striking at one person and then aiming for another after every couple seconds. Narcissa nearly got a good claw in the face, but Reno shoved her out of the way and parried with his stick. At one point, the shadow claws grazed Seth's shoulder, and a small cut emerged, but the Gaian didn't wince.

"He doesn't even have a pattern to his attacks!" Pop said, gasping for breath. There were some cracks on his lollipop from swinging it around.

"Wait, where's Geyser and Geysette?" Narcissa hollered over the chaos. She stopped in the middle of an attack and looked around. Geyser had leaped onto Chuan, but the possessed boy let out an ear-splitting cry, and now the dark mist was wrapping itself around Geyser's throat and squeezing the life out of him. Geysette was tackling Chuan with all her might, trying to free her brother from his grip, but she was not succeeding. "Help them!"

A large box on a wheeled platform came zooming out of the gathering crowd, dashing into Chuan and releasing Geyser as a result. Geyser flew through the air and was caught by Seth, who then set him on the ground. Geyser was as stiff as a stick, shocked by his near-suffocation. Everyone around them fell silent as the darkness around Chuan faded. The little boy blinked and shook his head, staring around in confusion.

"Huh?" he said. "What happened?" Geysette stomped up to him, eyes flaring.

"YOU NEARLY KILLED MY BRO…"she began, but Pop ran up and dragged her back.

"Relax," Alvin said. "He didn't know what he was doing…" Chuan still looked confused. The woman from the group they met earlier came up and put an arm around Chuan.

"Thanks for helping us," she said, bowing. "You can stay here for the day if you'd like. We also have some food and water if you need any."

"We'll have some food and drink, but then we should get going," Reno replied. "We…we've heard of strange events that are happening all around the world, and we're trying to find out what's going on. Do you know of anyone who might know more about it?" The woman's face had a grave look on it once more as she thought for a bit.

"Maybe there is. I've heard rumors of two very well known people around the area. Aside from that, there's nothing else I can say."

"I'm hungry," Geyser butted in, whining. The woman took one look at Geyser and started to coo and aw over him. Geysette sighed and smacked her face with her paw, and muttered something incoherent about "everyone thinks he's cute" and "idiot brother".

"You can stay for lunch, if you want. Then you can get going again." Grateful for the lady's offer, they followed her to her home as the rest of the people dispersed, whispering about the group and more rumors of the things that were falling from the sky. Seth held back for a bit, looking around. _That box…_ he thought.

"Aren't you coming, Seth?" Pop asked. Seth took one last glance at a suspicious looking, shadowy spot near the entrance, then at the box. He was pretty sure the box came from that direction; if one was to draw a line from the shadowy corner to the box, it would be straight.

_How strange…_


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

"That was one of the best meals I've had for a while," Pop sighed. They had been given a large feast for helping out with Chuan. There were various exotic fruits and fresh meats, and the woman who first offered to give them food even baked a cake for them. "I wish we could eat like that every day."

"Same here," Reno sighed. "Traveling takes a lot out of you…"

The oasis town was left far behind, and the group had entered another forest that was thicker than the one Skyrunner resided in. It was a rainy day, and the already shadowy surroundings did not help to comfort anyone. The environment seemed more sinister than usual. Narcissa mustered up all the courage she could, though she found herself walking close to Alvin. Geyser and Geysette were almost trembling in fear, staying near Pop, who had given the two lollipops to comfort them.

"I don't like this place!" Geyser whimpered. "I wish we can go back to that lady's house…"

"I guess you're going to have to deal with it for the time being," Pop sighed, patting the little wolf on the head. "I don't think we're getting out of here anytime soon." They all continued in a wary, dreary silence. Narcissa found herself shivering from the dampness. Alvin noted this and locked his arm around hers in an attempt to keep the girl warm. Narcissa let out a small gasp, and her face flushed red. All Alvin did was look down at her with eyes that revealed no emotion, yet told Narcissa that he cared about her.

Seth broke the moment when he abruptly spun around, holding Thorn in the direction where they came from. Narcissa's heart jumped. The sound of the rain hitting the ground was the only accomplice of the silence.

"I thought I heard something…" Seth muttered, moving forward a bit. "We should be careful…"

"W-wait!" a little voice cried. "Wait for me!" Pop's face turned from fright to shock.

"I-I recognize that voice!" he said. Before anyone could stop him, he had dashed forward and gazed with anticipation into the rain. A small, green haired boy stumbled into their view, smiling brightly. "What are you doing here, Chuan?" Chuan jumped up and down happily. The dark aura that had surrounded him when they first met was gone completely.

"Chuan found you!" he said. Upon seeing who it was, Geysette's nostrils flared, and her fur stuck straight up. She stomped over to Chuan and pointed a finger in his face.

"Did you come here to get us?" she growled. Reno had to use some effort in order to pull her away from the boy.

"Remember, he didn't know what he was doing," Reno reminded her. Geysette crossed her arms and huffed before making her way gloomily back over to her brother. Geyser was unsure if he wanted to flee or stay, so he stood there, arms hanging by his sides in uncertainty.

"Gwen tell me what happen," Chuan said. Narcissa assumed that Gwen was the kind lady that gave them the food. "Chuan is sorry. Demon think people don't like Chuan, so he try protect Chuan. Chuan tell Demon not to do bad thing to heroes, so Demon won't do it anymore." Seth turned slowly to Narcissa.

"What do you make of this?" he asked, lowering his sword. "I do not know how he got so far alone, and I don't think he'd want to be sent back…besides, the townspeople are probably relieved that Chuan left the area." Narcissa gazed at Chuan and pondered Seth's statement.

"I could watch him," Pop offered, raising his hand.

"I guess he could stay with us," Narcissa decided, "as long as we keep tabs on him. Thanks Pop." Pop grinned and pulled out some candy for Chuan, and the little boy took it happily in his hands. Geysette, still feeling grumpy, watched the scene from the corner of her eye.

Now with Chuan, they started again deeper into the woods. Narcissa had the strangest feeling that they were somehow lost, and she felt uneasy by the thought. There were snippets of conversation between Pop and Chuan, the possessed boy talking the most out of everyone, but aside from that there was no sound. Then, Reno nearly tripped and fell on his face.

"Ow!" he exclaimed, looking behind him. There was an odd, bronze colored object poking out from the ground. Confused, he stood back up again and tried to pull the object out of the ground. The rest of the group began to gather around, and Geyser, Geysette, and Chuan all had to jump to see what he was doing. When it finally came out, it turned out to be a disc of sorts, with a symbol on it resembling crosshairs. "What is this?"

A rather loud rustle prevented anyone from answering. Reno, in his alarm, tossed the disc in the direction of the noise. There was an alarmed gasp and more rustles, and then two men nearly stumbled into Seth. The Gaian's eyes widened.

"You should not throw those around wildly!" Marth panted, repositioning his tiara.

"Marth! Ike!" Narcissa cried joyfully. "Goodness, lots of people are coming without any warning!" She ran over to help the two swordsmen up. Ike glanced back at where Reno threw the disc and looked at the stick wielder.

"That was a Trophy Stand," he said. "It turns its target into a trophy. If you had hit us, well…"

"I'm terribly sorry," Reno said. "I was wondering what that thing was, and then we all heard something coming. It was out of instinct; we had no idea you were following us. Speaking of which…why were you following us?" Ike and Marth looked at each other, unsure how to explain.

"Are they secretly stalkers?" Geyser asked. Geysette gave him a good slap on the head.

"I…was actually a bit worried about you," Ike said almost sheepishly. "We thought we might join your travels." His blue gaze scanned the party, and he stared at Seth for a few moments. Seth seemed speechless with pleasant surprise and realization.

"Who are they?" Chuan asked, hopping forward. At the sight of Chuan, Marth's face became one of slight alarm.

"You…you two were the ones that hit the box," Seth stated slowly. "Which means that you must have been tracking us for a while…"

"You were bound to find out soon," Marth sighed. "As soon as I saw that Geyser was in trouble, I grabbed the nearest box and put it on a wheeled platform, and I hit it as hard as I could. It worked, I suppose." He laughed and ran his fingers through his silky hair. Narcissa felt extremely happy that these two seasoned warriors had decided to accompany them. Suddenly, something clicked in her mind.

"Have…have any of you heard of a lake around here, or perhaps two well known travelers?" she questioned.

"I believe there was a lake near the castle," Ike answered. "As for the two travelers…we know many. It's possible that they were our comrades while fighting Tabuu. Why do you ask?"

"I had a dream about a lake," the girl replied, gulping. Alvin watched her thoughtfully, remembering waking her up from her nightmare after they met Pop. "I had it twice, actually. I think we need to backtrack and go there…"

"Why didn't you mention it earlier?" Reno wondered out loud.

"It didn't seem that important at first, but when it repeated…I just thought we had to be there, somehow."

"We could guide you to the lake," Marth proposed. Narcissa was touched at how much help the pair was.

"That would be great," she said.

"Suppose you are wrong…?" Alvin said.

"I doubt it… It keeps nagging me from the back of my head, and I can't seem to ignore it…" She could see a hint of concern on his face.

"It's decided, then." Alvin touched her hand reassuringly. "We will head for the lake tomorrow."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

Two days passed. The group, which was growing rapidly, had covered a surprising amount of distance. Thankfully, Ike and Marth had brought some more provisions with them, but they were running out of space to put the things. They were surviving, at least, and that was all that mattered. They had already passed the majority of the dry plains where they found the TowTow, and Narcissa noticed that the land was getting progressively greener. That meant they must be nearing some source of water…the lake

"This place looks familiar…." Seth mumbled, gazing around.

"I think this was where we met," Pop said. "Wait…what the…" There was a picture frame lying in the grass.

"Maybe it fell from the sky too," Marth said, walking over to the picture frame and taking a good look at it. "You say you met here?" The candy loving boy nodded. "Perhaps…whatever this strange force is, it is stronger here."

"That's something I never thought about," Narcissa pondered. "It could be stronger in some areas... I wonder why?"

Suddenly, the ground below them began to shake. Narcissa almost fell over, but thankfully Reno was right next to her, and she caught his arm. "Wh-what is this?" The trembling got progressively stronger, making the group huddle close together. Ike, Seth, Alvin, and Marth were standing on the outside of the group, weapons ready. Then, a creature of monstrous proportions burst out of the ground. It loomed over them, its body curved in an "S" shape. Running down its spine was a row of spikes like daggers, and from its mouth protruded two giant fangs. Its eyes gleamed with hunger, and it hissed in delight.

The serpent did not give anyone much time to react. It promptly lunged out at Narcissa with its wide, gaping mouth. She barely dodged the attack. The serpent writhed in annoyance when it realized its teeth were stuck in the ground. Narcissa took advantage and pounded the ground with her fist, making a tremor spread out from her and causing the snake to roar in pain. She smiled when she saw Reno give her a thumbs up from the corner of her eye.

The serpent dislodged its head from the earth, even more angry than before and with a headache from the attack. It was hungry, and it wanted lunch. It hissed once, and then sunk back into the hole it came from.

"Where is it?" Geyser whined, clinging to Pop's leg in terror. Alvin signaled for everyone to be quiet, glancing over at Narcissa. Narcissa blinked in confusion, but then it came to her. Alvin fought without his eyes, using sound to guide him. He could probably hear the vibrations in the ground better than anyone else. After he pinpointed the serpent's location, Narcissa could go ahead with punching the ground again.

Ike also seemed to understand the strategy and stepped up next to Narcissa, taking Ragnell and holding it in front of him. She remembered seeing the mercenary stab his sword into the ground to create a blast of flame. _Ouch,_ she thought. _That is going to hurt._ Alvin quickly tied on his blindfold and stood as still as death. He was silent for a while, but then he swiftly dashed over to a dry patch of grass some feet away. Narcissa and Ike followed, along with the rest of the group.

Alvin's senses did not fail him, as the serpent indeed popped out of the soil in front of him. This time, it attempted to constrict Narcissa with its body. Narcissa gasped as she saw the dirt colored scales of the snake wrap around her. Alvin ran towards the serpent's head and leaped into the air, hurtling towards it and drawing his dagger. He brought his weapon forward and slashed at its face, then landed on his feet. However, the scales on the beast were as hard as stone, and the dagger did not do much to hurt it.

"Alvin…" Narcissa gasped. The coils were closing in around her neck, and she was having trouble getting the boy's name out. The serpent lowered its head next to hers and hissed menacingly. Ike dashed forward and plunged Ragnell into the earth, trying to scorch the snake, but the creature didn't even flinch.

"There has to be some weak point to this thing," Ike muttered. The others had joined in the fight, striking at various points on the snake's body in an attempt to save Narcissa. It was as if the serpent was laughing at their futile attempts. Narcissa felt dizzy. _Please don't let me die, everyone…_

That was when a flaming arrow flew through the air, zooming towards the serpent's eye. There was a shriek of pain, and the serpent let go of Narcissa. The girl gasped for air and keeled over on the ground. Alvin dashed over to her in concern.

"Are you alright?" he asked her, taking off his blindfold for a few seconds so she could see the worry in his eyes.

"Y-yeah," she panted, looking up at his handsome face. "Thanks for…trying…" Alvin took her hand firmly and helped her stand back up. "Who shot that arrow?" Ike looked around and caught sight of a certain blonde haired elf and a princess that he saw before.

"Link! Zelda!" he hollered. Link was holding his bow in his hand, preparing another arrow. Zelda had produced an orb of fire in her hands and was igniting the arrow.

"Do you know these guys?" Seth asked the two swordsmen.

"We met them on the journey to defeat Tabuu," Marth explained.

"I'm not the only one that jumps down from cliffs, right?" Ike said to Marth, chuckling. Marth sighed and shook his head. Link was now firing more fire arrows at the serpent's head. It had already been blinded by the previous arrow and was as angry as ever. Reno was nimbly dodging attacks, and Geyser and Geysette were cowering behind Pop, who was unsure of what to do and had decided to protect the two wolves. Chuan, however, had regained the shadowy aura, but he was more controlled in his actions. Perhaps the demon in him had learned a lesson. Reno suddenly got an idea.

"Hey!" he called out to the fighters. "Don't lots of reptiles have sensitive bellies?"

"How would we turn it on its side?" Seth muttered, parrying a blow from the snake's tail.

"Here," Zelda said, creating another large fireball. She fired it at the serpent's face, and it struck with uncanny accuracy. The monster screeched and wavered a bit before falling and exposing its neck. "Go, now!" Marth and Seth dashed up with their swords and both jumped, stabbing the serpent in the neck. Crimson blood spurted out as a strange, rasping sound came out of the snake's mouth. Marth and Seth hopped off of the serpent's body right before it crashed onto the ground.

"Is…is everyone ok?" Seth asked. The others gathered around in a large cluster. Seth's eyes met with Zelda's and Link's. "You are friends of Marth and Ike…? Have you heard of things falling out of the sky…?"

"There were rumors," Link answered, putting away his bow. "We have not seen that happen ourselves."

"We thought it might be tied with Subspace," Ike said. The two seemed to tighten up a bit at the mention of the horrible events of Subspace.

"Is there any information you could offer?" Narcissa asked, still relying on Alvin for balance.

"I remember I was cloned by Shadow Bugs," Zelda put in. "They looked like large masses of purple orbs, and they could take on the form of many things. That was what the Primids in the Subspace Army was made of, I believe. They extracted the Shadow Bugs from a person called Mr. Game and Watch."

"Now that I recall it, I remember seeing an army of Primids form from the Shadow Bugs when I was defending the castle," Marth muttered.

"Alright…thanks!" Narcissa said, smiling. She shook hands with Link and Zelda before collapsing in Alvin's arms.

"We should rest," Alvin murmured. "You need to take time to recover…" The last thing Narcissa saw before she dozed off from tiredness was Ike and Marth waving goodbye to their comrades.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

Narcissa felt relieved to leave the dry, dull colored plains and see the color green instead. Being a user of earth-related powers, she naturally felt drawn to nature. The others also appeared peppier than they had been back in the plains. She soon found herself passing through a small wood. The sounds of the birds and the breeze blowing through the leaves made her relax. The only thing that kept nagging at her mind was the thought of finally seeing the lake and discovering why she kept having nightmares about it.

They moved in near silence, only hearing an occasional exclamation from Chuan or some short conversations. The battle with the snake had made them tired, but Narcissa could tell that everyone was filled with anticipation of what was to come. Alvin kept close to her, saying nothing but once in a while stealing a glance at her, as if to make sure that she was still there. Next to Alvin walked Reno, gazing about the woods in quiet contemplation. The swordsmen were in another cluster, Seth and Ike traveling with as much ease as Marth even though they carried huge weapons. Pop had given Chuan, Geyser, and Geysette some more candy and he sucked on a lollipop of his own.

"Do you hear something…?" Ike asked. Narcissa stopped walking and listened. There was a faint sound in the distance, almost like the wind, but louder and more distinct. It was almost like…

"Water!" Narcissa cried. "Ike, I think we're here!" She began to run through the trees in her eagerness to find out why she kept having dreams about the lake, ignoring the feeling of branches and leaves brushing her skin. The sound of the waves grew louder and louder as she progressed. Then there was another noise.

"Raaawwrrrgghhh!" Just as Narcissa burst through the last of the trees and laid eyes upon the lake, she saw a large, green dragon shoot out of its depths and spiral into the sky. The girl stopped in her tracks and held out her arm to signal the others to stop. The roar was eerily familiar; it sounded exactly like the roars in her dream! She staggered backwards as the green dragon rushed past her, jaws gaping and claws outstretched.

The dragon, a powerful Pokemon named Rayquaza, had found an intruder in its territory. Last time, a certain monkey and fox had trespassed and defeated Rayquaza, and it was determined to destroy this one. However, this enemy was another dragon, with scales of white, gold, and silver, and from its claws came a strange energy that the Pokemon never saw before. Silvery blue in color, it flickered like fire and felt like a rend in the universe.

"That white dragon looks hurt badly!" Reno exclaimed. There were bleeding scrapes and missing scales all over its body. Narcissa looked at the dragon's face, and it looked back at her. She thought she could feel a shiver run up her spine. They were a pale gray, and though there was the fire of battle and tiredness in them, she saw past that and found something almost human-like. Rayquaza's claw slammed into the other dragon's neck, pinning it down to the ground. A rasping noise came from its throat. Opening its maws, it shot a jet of more of the fire-like substance that was on its claws. Rayquaza let go and backed away, glaring. The Pokemon flew up into the air and started twisting its body like a snake. A bolt of lightning came down and struck the white dragon on the side, making it let loose a growl of pain.

"Help it!" Narcissa hollered. Before anyone could stop her, she had dashed over to the lakeside and slammed her fists near the water. A large wave rose up and crashed over Rayquaza, temporarily submerging it in the lake. The legendary came up again, frustrated that it now had even more to deal with. Seth charged in and let loose some blood colored wind from his hand, buffeting Rayquaza.

"I'm going to go help that other dragon," Narcissa decided, turning around and running over towards it. "Everyone else, go fight."

"Are you sure it's not hostile?" Marth asked. "This green one could be attacking it for a reason." Narcissa shook her head. She could not think that the dragon was bad after seeing the character in its eyes. The blue haired prince sighed and headed over to Rayquaza. Now everyone was assaulting the Pokemon aside from Geyser and Geysette, who were more focused on running away from its attacks. Ike had managed to hop on top of its head and was distracting it from the other fighters. Reno and Pop gave it some good whacks with their weapons, the demon's darkness had returned to Chuan, and Alvin was agilely slicing Rayquaza with his dagger.

It seemed as if the Pokemon had decided all this chaos was enough, as it gave one final roar and shook off Ike. The mercenary flipped through the air and landed with a splash in the water. Rayquaza grumbled and took off into the sky, disappearing behind a cloud. Ike resurfaced after a few seconds, coughing out water. Marth helped pull him out. His cape was plastered to his body, and his spiky hair was now flattened.

"It's hard to swim in these clothes," he muttered, running his fingers through his hair. Just as he turned to see if Narcissa was alright, a blaze of the silvery, fire-like aura flared up from where the white dragon was lying. Narcissa jumped back in alarm. It enveloped the creature's body in a pyre of light. After a few moments, the aura vanished as suddenly as it came. Narcissa blinked in surprise.

"Guys…" she gasped. "The…the dragon…"

"What happened?" Geyser asked. The others gathered around her.

"Oh….oh…!" Pop stammered, backing away.

Now unconscious, the dragon had turned into a boy.

_He was floating in a sea of thoughts, a sea of time. All was dark. The moments flashed by like the lightning he saw on that stormy day at the lake. The fight. For what reason had that fight even started? The anger in the air was so strong that he felt it. Then, in a moment where he could have been killed, the Dragonforce sprouted forth from his back in the shape of two, giant webbed wings. It consumed his body, and then there he was- a white dragon with mane of silver and sharp, golden claws. The need of survival pounded through him, seizing the majority of his control. Suddenly, the world was gone, and he was falling, falling into oblivion…_

"I think he's waking up," a voice whispered. The boy stirred a little, opening his eyes slightly. At first he could only see dark shapes looming over him, but as he gradually came to, they formed into human faces. At least, most of them were human. There were two wolves looking down at him as well.

"Huh…" he groaned, pushing himself up and rubbing his forehead. Ouch. It felt like he had a thousand bruises all over his body. He saw his hand and his silver-blue Dragonforce shimmering around it almost innocently. "Oh…oh no…" He glanced at the others with his pale gray eyes. "Did…did I turn into a dragon?"

"Yep!" answered a little boy in a red turtleneck sweater. There was a cheery tone to his voice. "Dragon fight other big, green dragon! We help white dragon!" The stranger suddenly shot up and scanned the area.

"No one got hurt, right?" he asked. A brown haired girl stepped up to him.

"Ike fell into the lake," she said, gesturing to a thoroughly soaked, blue haired man. "But other than that, we're alright." The boy breathed a sigh of relief. "What happened with that other dragon you were fighting with?"

"I…I was sheltering here for a while. Apparently this was part of its territory, and it didn't like the fact I was here. It had been gone for a few days, but then it came back and found me. It was a tough battle. Thanks for saving me. I thought I was done for." He took a deep breath and let it out. "What might your names be?"

"Me? I'm Narcissa," the girl replied. She pointed to each of the other and said their names. "That's Alvin." Narcissa smiled at a boy with stunning green eyes. "Those are Seth and Reno." Seth was a red haired man with a giant, black sword, and Reno wielded a more modest weapon, a burgundy colored stick. "The two wolves are Geyser and Geysette, and those are Ike and Marth." The little, brown wolves waved at the boy, while Ike and Marth gave him courteous nods. "This is Pop and Chuan." A brightly dressed person with a huge lollipop smiled at him. Chuan was the one in the red turtleneck. "We're all traveling around together on a mission."

"It's nice to meet all of you," the boy said. He made a small smile. "My name…is Code Devoc Vendridan, but you may call me Devoc."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

Everyone had decided to stay at the lake for the night. The trip tired them, and they had to recover from the battle with Rayquaza. Devoc showed them the cave that he had been sheltering in during the lightning storm. Geyser, Chuan, Geysette, and Pop were helping with catching some fish from the lake. Ike, who had hung up his vest so it could dry, gathered some firewood and lit it on fire with Eruption. As they waited for the fish to arrive, the rest of the group settled down by the fire, watching its tongues dance and cast shadows on the wall. Narcissa, however, was staring more at Devoc's Dragonforce than the flames.

"Devoc, what is that in your hands anyways?" she asked, tilting her head to one side. Devoc held up a hand and looked at it.

"This…?" he asked. Narcissa nodded. "This is…the Dragonforce. My races, the Dragonians, are all born with it." Now everyone's eyes were on the silver haired boy. He raised his head skywards and continued talking. "We…we believe in a sentient energy deep in the core of the world called the Ancient Force. It split its power to create everything around us, and therefore everything is part of the Ancient Force. This…" He gestured at the Dragonforce. "This was a special power given to us by the Ancient Force, a piece of the Ancient Force's own strength. Based on what surrounded us when we were born, the Dragonforce's abilities change, and it stays with us for life. It's like blood. We can't live without it. It's a part of our body. And when we die, the Dragonforce returns to the Ancient Force…"

There was a moment of silence as everyone took what Devoc said in. The crackling of the fire whispered with the chirps of the crickets in the bushes. Then, Reno piped up.

"How do you use it?" he asked.

"That's hard to explain," Devoc answered. He thought for a moment, resting his chin on his hand. "It's like…thinking something. You imagine the Dragonforce doing something, and it does it. There is a limit to what it can do, though." He closed his eyes. "Here…I'll show you." In his mind, Devoc was picturing his Dragonforce twisting into a vicious, sharp toothed shape. When he opened his eyes, the Dragonforce had done exactly that. It formed a dragon's head.

"That's quite interesting," Marth commented, studying the Dragonforce.

"Yes, but it can also be hard to control. The Dragonforce draws power on thoughts and emotions, so if you have a hard time controlling either of those…" He sighed. "I'd say that…I have pretty fair control, but sometimes it does get out of hand. That's why I was worried I'd harm someone as a dragon."

"How do you turn into a dragon anyways?" Narcissa questioned. Devoc appeared to hesitate for a few seconds, and then answered.

"Well…that's exactly what happens when you lose control of the Dragonforce. Though it is a lot stronger in dragon form, you tend to go…berserk." He stared at the ground for a while. Ike was looking at him in a strange way, almost as if he was remembering something from the distant past, a hint of sadness in his eyes. Narcissa wondered why he looked like that.

"Hey, hey!" Geyser squealed, walking into the cave. In his arms was a pile of a rather surprising amount of fish. "We have the fish! You guys can eat now!" They set the fish up over the fire, and when it was cooked thoroughly, they munched on the fish in silence. Devoc suddenly looked up at Narcissa.

"Why are you all traveling together anyways?" he asked softly.

"One day I was watching Alvin and Reno fight at the Mid-air Stadium," Narcissa began. "Everything was normal…but then this giant boulder fell out of the sky. It would have killed me if it wasn't for Seth and…and Alvin." She blushed ever so slightly. "Seth told us about the stuff that kept on falling down out of nowhere, so we set out to gather more information. That's how we all met." Devoc's eyes widened for a couple of seconds. Something like the shadow of a thought flickered in his expression. Narcissa blinked. What was that just now?

"Ah, I see," he said rather quietly. The silence resumed. Narcissa proceeded to finish up her fish. There seemed to be a strange darkness looming over the group now, and she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was. Suspicion? Sadness? Abruptly, her eyes landed on Devoc, who had already finished eating and was staring at the Dragonforce in his hands.

For some reason, she felt like the Dragonian knew a lot more than what he had explained- or asked- in the past few minutes.

Ike was glad to be back in his clothes. It had been chilly even though there was a fire in the cave to warm him. He was on a night watch with Seth. Alvin and Reno had just finished their hours and went back to sleep, so it was their turn now. Afterwards, it would be Marth and Pop. He was lying down by the lake, gazing at the stars. Seth sat a few feet away from him.

"It's nice tonight, isn't it?" Ike murmured.

"Yeah," Seth sighed. "It reminds me of home for some reason. I like to watch storms, and I don't know why…" This was not a violent, stormy night, but nonetheless he enjoyed it. He could feel a small breeze that made the trees rustle softly, and it created tiny waves on the lake that made a calming sound when they brushed up against the land. It soothed him. The presence of the other swordsman, who Seth thought was a lot like him, also seemed to make him relax. He glanced at Ike for a moment. The mercenary had closed his eyes and was listening to the sounds of the night.

Something strange struck Seth's mind. Ike. For some reason, the blue haired man was familiar to him. Although they had only met recently, as soon as Seth saw him for the first time, he somehow thought he knew Ike. It was impossible that they met before. Images flashed in his mind- a rainy day, a little girl running up to him, asking Seth to play with her, and a certain doll of a brave swordsman with blue hair…

"Ike," he said, a little too loudly. Ike's eyes snapped open.

"What is it?" the mercenary asked, sitting up. Seth's two-colored eyes were scanning him.

"I think I knew you from somewhere…" the Gaian muttered, his gaze finally resting on Ike's face. Ike was confused. "As soon as we saw you at the castle…I thought I had seen you somewhere else."

"But that is…"

"Not possible. I know." Ike furrowed his eyebrows and scratched his head. "It's like...it's like a memory from a different time and place. I can't explain it any better."

"A different time and place, huh…" Ike recalled the flashback he had when he heard Devoc talking about "going berserk" as a dragon. It was a painful memory- a medallion, and blue fire that consumed people with rage. He returned to his stargazing and only said one word.

"Perhaps."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

Narcissa woke up to a cheery, sunny day. The fire had already been put out, meaning that someone had got up before her. The only remnants of it were the smoldering ashes. She stood up and stretched her limbs and looked around at the cave. Most of the others were still sleeping. The sunlight, warm and welcoming, made a small patch of light on the cave floor. She walked out into the brightness, shielding her eyes until they adjusted.

Alvin, Marth, and Devoc were sitting by the lake, chatting quietly. Alvin seemed to sense Narcissa's presence and turned. The sun turned his hair a lovely spring green color, and his eyes seemed even more radiant in the morning light. A brief smile flashed across his face, then disappeared. Marth waved Narcissa over. She slumped down on the grass with them, sighing.

"Morning," she said tiredly, rubbing her eyes. She took a small pebble in her hand and skipped it across the lake. There was a small splash as it made its last jump and sunk under the water. Gentle ripples moved out in a ring on the lake's surface. "You know…I had a thought last night…"

"What is it?" Alvin prompted.

"I…don't think this search has been going in the right direction. We have been looking for people who know about the Subspace Incident, like Marth…" She gestured towards the blue haired prince. "But…what if it's not related to Subspace at all?" Devoc had a questioning expression on his face.

"Subspace…?" he asked. "While traveling around this world, I've heard bits about it, but never a whole story…" He directed his question to Marth.

"A few years ago," Marth explained," there was this evil being called Tabuu who attacked with the Subspace army. Subspace is an alternate universe, I suppose. He would have various ROB soldiers detonate these bombs called Subspace bombs, which would suck whatever was in its range into Subspace. Ike and I were part of a large group that ventured into the heart of Subspace and defeated Tabuu. After that, all the parts of the world returned to normal, except for The Isle of the Ancients…"

"Isle of the Ancients?" Narcissa asked. "I don't believe I've heard of that one before."

"The leader of the ROBs, also known as the Ancient Minister, had been forced by Tabuu to detonate the Subspace bombs. They lived on a floating island called the Isle of the Ancients. I've been told that before we all met up and invaded Subspace, a large amount of Subspace bombs in on room exploded and sucked up the whole isle. When we finally got back, that island did not return. There was just a bright X in the sky where it once was." He looked up into the sky as if expecting an X to be there.

"That would be a rather strange sight," Alvin murmured. He was quiet for a few seconds, then looked back at Narcissa. "Would you suggest we take a different course?"

"Maybe," she responded. "We should probably look for other possibilities while we search around." She blinked at Marth. "Do you know anyone else who could be of help?" Marth thought for a while, and then his blue eyes lit up.

"There's Pit," he answered. "I believe Pit was one of the first to witness the events of Subspace, and he is a good fighter. Yes…we should try to find him." Narcissa nodded.

"It's a plan, then. We'll try to find Pit."

Narcissa heard some rustling behind her. She whipped around to find that the others had awakened. She motioned them over and told them about her new plan.

"So you think we've been searching for the wrong thing…" Reno said slowly. "Well, I suppose we can be flexible. Maybe we should also be thinking about how we can stop everything from falling out of the sky."

"True…" Seth added in. "Anyone have any ideas?" The group was silent. Suddenly they heard the sound of hooves against the ground approaching. Seth's hand moved towards Thorn's handle, ready to attack in case it was something dangerous. A black colored head appeared within the trees. It was a horse, and on its back was a girl with long brown hair. The girl dismounted her horse upon seeing the others and led the horse to the water. While the horse bent down to drink, the girl walked over to Narcissa.

"Am I intruding on something?" she asked. "I'm sorry if I am. I had to let my horse get a drink."

"Oh no, everything's fine," Narcissa answered. "Say…have you seen objects suddenly fall out of the sky? The newcomer seemed confused.

"No…though I did hear some rumors."

"We're all trying to find out what's going on," Pop said. "I actually was dropped in the middle of a field myself, and I think Narcissa said she was almost crushed by a rock." The girl's eyes widened.

"Goodness! That sounds serious." Her eyes landed on the amount of bags full of provisions and necessities that the party was carrying around. "Hm…I guess I could join you. It looks like you have a lot of luggage, and my horse could help carry all that. My name is Ashleigh. I've been traveling around with an elf named Thunder…hey, where is he?" She turned around, and everyone else gazed in the direction she was looking at. A yellow haired boy with black and white robes and a sword emerged from the trees. Thunder stared at the group for a bit before heading over.

"So will you join us?" Reno asked. Ashleigh nodded.

"Join them?" Thunder asked in an un-amused tone. "I've missed something, haven't I…?"

The angel was leaning against a tall, marble column, enjoying the breeze and watching the clouds drift by. Pit wondered how his companions were doing. It had been a while since they invaded Subspace, and he had not seen them since. He had been busy guarding Skyworld and had no time to go down to the ground. Right now, Pit was taking a break from his captaining duties.

He noticed a faint light from the corner of his eye. The angel looked over his shoulder and saw his goddess, Palutena. Immediately, Pit backed away from the column and bowed to her.

"My Goddess," he said, "what brings you here?" Palutena gazed over the horizon.

"I can sense a disturbance in the world," she replied. "It feels…almost unnatural, as if something broke the fabric of the universe." The deity commanded Pit to rise. "Pit, go down to the earth and find the ones who are traveling to find a solution to this problem. I believe you will find a few of your old friends too." Pit's eyes brightened at the thought of being able to see his acquaintances.

"I will, my Goddess," Pit said, bowing again before leaving. He ran across the elaborate tiles in front of the temple towards a smaller building in the distance. Palutena watched him go, then turned and prayed that her captain would be safe.

Pit pushed open the door. A small shaft of light shined on an elaborate gold and bronze box, the only thing to be found in the room. The angel smiled, and from underneath his robes he took a small key. He turned the key in the lock once, twice, and the box popped open. Pit lifted the lid to reveal the Bow of Palutena. He smiled. It had been a while since he had to fight, and he could already feel the adrenaline pumping through him. Yes, he preferred peace…but there was just something about battle that he enjoyed.

He grabbed his weapon and set out to find a good take-off point. It was a pity that he could not actually fly- otherwise he could lift off from anywhere. Pit found a place where the wind was blowing in a direction in which he would not need to use too much energy. Holding his swords firmly in his hands, he turned around and opened his snowy white wings. The captain let himself slowly fall backwards. He hung there, suspended like a drop of water about to fall from a leaf, and then he fell. His wings caught the wind and pushed him towards his destination.

Even if he couldn't fly, this was enjoyable enough.

"Is he always like that?" a frustrated Geysette asked Ashleigh. The wolf had been trying to get Thunder to open up, but the elf seemed to like to stay alone. Sure, she was glad that there was _finally_ another girl in the group, but this guy really made her angry.

"I guess," Ashleigh responded. "He was like that when I met him. I think something bad happened to him in the past, and he never talks about it." The party, now joined by Thunder and Ashleigh, had already gone quite a few miles away from the lake. They were back in that desolate field, which Narcissa was getting rather tired of seeing, but they were traveling in a different direction.

Then, Chuan bounded forward and pointed at the horizon. "Look! Look!" he said excitedly, waving around his arms and bouncing up and down. Reno stepped forward and shielded his eyes from the sun with his hand, gazing where the little boy was pointing.

"Hey…there's something out there," he announced. "They look like stone pillars of some sort."

"There are some ruins around here," Ike said, stepping up next to Reno.

"Maybe we ought to take a look around there," Seth suggested.

"Alright," Narcissa decided. "Then I guess we're off to the ruins."


End file.
